It’s a universal truth that telling the truth is commonly accepted as the right and noble thing to do. We routinely describe good people as “honest” and have been conditioned to believe that truth is inherently positive, whereas lies are almost always negative.

There’s no denying that the truth benefits significantly from a well-resourced PR campaign. It’s the truth that “always prevails,” the truth that will “set you free.” What’s the best policy? Honesty, obviously.

The truth may set you free, but it can also set you back, whereas a well-deployed white lie is a gift that keeps on giving. Credit: Michael Howard

Meanwhile, lies are left to fend for themselves, no pithy sayings to fall back on. From a young age, we are constantly reminded that should you become a liar, all you can expect is for your pants to catch on fire (which is, of course, a lie).

To make matters worse, we live in a time that champions realness above all. Whether it’s the backlash against fake news or social media’s obsession with authenticity, lying has been outlawed in favour of a rigorous commitment to the truth. These days, there are no shades of grey, even if your lie is white.

This brings me to my wife Kate’s recent purchase, a pair of very long shorts. Officially referred to as “lorts” (long shorts), this item of clothing was the subject of much discussion in our house because they were a) quite expensive and b) a bit of a gamble.

Ultimately, Kate decided that her life would be better with the shorts (I will get so much use out of them!), so she clicked add to cart. The day of their arrival was tinged with the kind of nervous energy exclusively reserved for clothing you’ve bought online. Will this fit? Will I hate it? Can I be bothered returning the giant shorts if they’re not right?

Like a child on Christmas morning, Kate rushed to try them on before triumphantly walking into the loungeroom: “So, what do you think?”

These obviously aren’t the shorts, but honestly, they’re not far off.Credit: iStock

Before we move on, a series of disclaimers. Firstly, as someone who wears a slightly different version of the same thing every day, I am far from an arbiter of good taste. Secondly, my wife is incredibly stylish and definitely does not require my feedback.